Spiritual Healing

Spirituality
involves the recognition and acceptance of a God beyond our own intelligence
and with whom we can have a relationship. This God can provide an experience
of inspiration, joy, security, peace of mind, and guidance that goes beyond
what is possible in the absence of the conviction that such a power exists.

Spiritual healing is when energy is transmitted to the person who needs it.
The treatment works on the body, mind and spirit, which are seen as one unit
that must harmonize for good health. If a separate healer is involved, the
healer will place the hand on the person being treated to channel the energy
from the Higher Source. The spiritual healing can help mental and emotional
problems and physical conditions such as a frozen shoulder.

The Origin of Spiritual Healing
The channeling of healing energy from its spiritual source to someone who
needs it is called spiritual healing. The channel is usually a person, whom
we call a healer, and the healing energy is usually transferred to the
patient through the healer's hands. The healing does not come from the
healer, but through him. On the other hand, you don't need a healer to take
advantage of spiritual healing. You can pray. A full treatment of prayer and
healing is found elsewhere.

The word "spiritual" refers to the divine nature of the energy,
which healers agree comes from one external, invisible intelligent source.
The healing energy from this source is available to all.

Healers see the body mind and spirit as one interdependent unit and believe
all three must work in harmony to maintain positive health. Any problem - be
it a broken leg or depression needs the power of healing to restore the
balance of the whole person. It is felt that sickness often starts in the
mind, or at the deeper level of the spirit, and it is often here that
healing begins.

The Significence of Spirituality in New Age
New Age is a loose term that includes everything from self improvement
programs to awareness of mind-body connections. The movement is growing by
leaps and bounds. Time magazine reported that in 1996, about 44 million
Americans identified with the healing movement. It is estimated that
Americans alone spend about $1.5 billion annually on books about
spirituality and religion. About 42 percent of Americans have sought out
alternative health care. So, there is no doubt that the movement is catching
on.

Spirituality vs Religion
Spirituality can be seen as being distinct from religion. Different world
religions have proposed various doctrines and belief systems about the
nature of a God and humanity's relationship with it. Spirituality, on the
other hand, refers to the common experience behind these various points of
view. It is an experience involving an awareness of and relationship with
something that transcends your personal self as well as the human order of
things. This "something" has been given various names ("God"
being the most popular in Western Society) and defined in ways that are too
numerous to count. We call it simply as the God. You can choose to define
what that means for yourself in whatever way feels most appropriate. Your
own sense of a God can be as abstract as "cosmic consciousness" or
as down-to-earth as the beauty of the ocean or mountains. Even if you regard
yourself an agnostic or atheist, you may get a sense of inspiration from
taking a walk in the forest or contemplating a beautiful sunset. Or a small
child's smile may give you a special sense of joy.

There is much healing and benefit to be obtained by cultivating your
spiritual life. A personal spiritual commitment is the most important
ingredient. Spiritual awareness and growth can effect a transformation in
your whole being. It can help you to develop a basic trust and faith that is
unshakable. Scientists call this intrinsic belief.

Many have experienced major turnarounds in their condition as a result of
cultivating their spirituality. They feel that developing a relationship
with their God provided the moral support, courage, hope, and faith for them
to follow through with their personal recovery program. It provided them
with a sense that they are not alone in the universe, and that there is a
source of guidance and support that is available at times of confusion and
discouragement.

Benefits of Spirituality Healing
Edmund Bourne, author of 'The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook,' has described a
number of benefits to spirituality as it applies to healing emotional
problems. Dr. Burke has personal experience of his patients benefiting from
a deep spirituality. He has listed a number of benefits that are gained
through spirituality. These are:

Security and SafetyThrough
developing a connection with God, the person gain security through
the conviction that you are not all alone in the universe, even at
those times when you feel temporarily separated from other people.
You feel increasingly safe as you come to believe that there is a
source you can always turn to in times of difficulty. As the twenty
third psalm says, "God is my shepherd," he will take care
of me and won't let me get into trouble if I trust him. There is
much security to be gained through the understanding that there is
no problem or difficulty that cannot be resolved through the help of
God.

Peace of Mind
Peace of mind is the result of feeling a deep, abiding sense of
security and safety. The more reliance and trust one develop in God,
the easier it becomes to deal without fear or worry with the
inevitable challenges life brings. It is not that one give up ones
self or you will to such a power; rather you simply learn that you
can "let go" and turn to God when you feel stuck with a
problem in living and don't know how to proceed. Learning how to let
go when solutions to problems aren't immediately apparent can go a
long way toward reducing worry and anxiety in your life. Peace of
mind is what develops in the absence of such anxiety.

Self-Confidence
As you develop a relationship with God, you come to realize that he
has created you and hence he has found something good in you. You
are part of the universe. You're good, lovable, and worthy of
respect just by virtue of the fact that you're God's creation. This
realization can improve the way you look at yourself and will help
you to improve your ego and what you think of yourself. You are
still inherently good and worthwhile. Your own judgments of
yourself, however negative, do not ultimately count if you are a
creation of the universe as much as everything else. As one person
put it: "God doesn't make junk."

Capacity To Give and Receive Unconditional Love
The most fundamental characteristic of God is that it offers you an
experience of unconditional love. This is a kind of love which
differs from romantic love or even ordinary friendship. It entails
an absolute caring for the welfare of another without any
preconditions. That is, no matter how another person appears or
acts, you have compassion and care for them without judgment. As you
develop a deeper connection with God, you come to experience greater
degrees of unconditional love in your life. You feel your heart
opening more easily to people and their concerns. You feel freer of
judgment toward them or of making comparisons among them.
Unconditional love shows up both in your increased capacity to give
love to others and to experience more of it coming into your life.
You begin to experience less fear and more joy in your life and help
to inspire others to experience their own capacity for unconditional
love. This kind of love also manifests itself through the experience
of having everything you need in your life to get on with what you
want to do.